Washing clothing while travelling can be a difficult and/or time consuming task. Many travellers, in particular backpackers and campers, choose to pack light and may only have a few changes of clothing. Accordingly, they must wash their clothing on a regular basis. Paying for clothing to be washed while travelling can be expensive. While Laundromats can be marginally more cost-effective, they can also be hard to find and generally require users to stay in the vicinity during the washing process to ensure their clothing is not stolen. Personal safety concerns can limit the use of Laundromats to daylight hours.
An alternative approach for washing clothing while travelling is to plug a hotel basin and wash the clothing therein. However, the cleanliness (or lack thereof) of the basin may be unappealing for washing clothing in Furthermore, if the basin is a communal basin, other travellers are likely to want to use the basin, which can limit the ability to adequately clean the clothing. It can also be difficult to wash clothing with vigour as water is likely to spill over the basin and/or the taps may get in the way. Indeed, some people may also be sensitive to washing materials (e.g. soaps, washing liquid, detergents) or simply may not desire to get their hands wet during the washing process. In some instances, particularly in remote areas (e.g. while camping or trekking), fixed basins may not be available and it may not be practical to carry a portable basin or bucket for washing clothing.
It is therefore desirable to provide an effective portable laundry device for washing clothing or other textiles while travelling.